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SAT’s just hit students across the country, taking place on April 5. The national standardized test consists of a math, reading, and writing portion. Some juniors who took the test in the fall found it hard, while others thought it was a breeze. After receiving their results, students get to see in which areas they excel and which areas they struggle. With these results to focus on, it allows them to acknowledge which subjects to concentrate their study on. How, then, do students prepare for such a large test? While some students are going to be frantically studying at the last minute, others have been preparing for months.

Students have a variety of ways to study for a huge test. For example, they can turn to online training courses, class sessions, like the course offered at HB, or SAT books. When asked which study method seemed to be most beneficial to him, Sam Daigle ‘18 said, “SAT classes, because they teach me strategies on how to answer questions faster.” SAT classes like the ones Daigle takes are scheduled on regular dates so that students are consistently studying for the test. SAT classes have instructors that know what kinds of questions the test will ask, and will teach how to maintain focus throughout the whole test. Online training is usually free– like Khan Academy, which is highly rated for its SAT prep. Ian Mauch ‘18 said, “I have been taking practice tests on Khan Academy, and in an SAT book.” Another advantage to online training is that it is highly convenient. However, students may forget about studying for certain periods of time, since there is no strict schedule for an online SAT class.

Another common SAT prep question: how much do SAT’s really matter towards college acceptance? There are many factors that colleges consider for students’ acceptance: cumulative GPA, ACT, SAT scores, and anything else that defines the student. When asked how much he believes the SAT score affects the college process after all of that studying, Richard Cadario ‘17, who has already been accepted into the University of Maine said, “If you have good grades, it won’t affect you as much, but if your GPA is low the test could help you out if you do well.” One thing is for sure: SAT’s are a very large test that can’t be studied for the night before and students can use many methods to achieve a higher score.